Flooring Problems

Flooring in commercial and residential buildings can have a variety of problems, from moldy carpets to debonded vinyl tiles to movement in wood flooring. Understanding the causes and solutions of these problems involves understanding the building as a system. What happens beneath and above a floor matters, in ways that aren’t always anticipated or well understood.

The articles in this section examine a range of building practices and materials – and the interactions between them – that can lead to flooring problems and solutions.

Document Type

Today’s houses make it easier for mold to find the food and water it needs to thrive. The cure is a quick cleanup and smarter choices in materials. Reprinted with permission from Fine Homebuilding, December 2006/January 2007, pages 70-75.

Concentrations of 54 volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and ventilation rates were measured in four new manufactured houses over 2-to-9.5 months following installation and in seven new site-built houses 1-to-2 months after completion. The houses were in four projects located in hot-humid and mixed-humid climates. They were finished and operational, but unoccupied.